Pluggable LED bezel system

The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to a pluggable Light Emitting Device (LED) bezel for information handling systems.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.

Many Information handling systems such as, for example, conventional networking devices, include Light Emitting Device (LED) systems for use in displaying information associated with networking ports and/or other networking subsystems included on the networking device. For example, conventional networking devices often include a front panel or other outer surface having “system” LEDs (e.g., a power supply LED, a “master” LED, a fan LED, a “system” LED, a stack identifier LEDs, and/or other system LEDs known in the art) that are configured to display “system” information about the networking device using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) registers, Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD) registers, and/or other processing subsystems in the switch device. Furthermore, the front panel or other outer surface on conventional networking devices will also include “switchport” LEDs that are configured to display “port” information (e.g., port link “up”/“down” information, port speed information, port activity information, etc.) about the ports on the networking device that may be received from, for example, a Network Processing Unit (NPU) Media Access Controller (MAC)/Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) via a CPLD that decodes and latches that port information for use in driving the switchport LEDs. The use of such conventional LED systems on networking devices raises a number of issues.

For example, the amount of time and effort dedicated to designing the LED system in the networking device (e.g., from both a hardware/CPLD perspective as well as a software/microcontroller code development and testing perspective) can be relatively significant, while the LEDs included on the networking devices discussed above are typically utilized during initial cabling of the networking device and following any subsequent port outage and/or cable maintenance, which when compared to the “up” time of the networking device is relatively insignificant. Furthermore, the LED configuration on the front panel or other outer surface of the networking device is finalized during initial product design such that it cannot be changed, thus constraining modifications to networking device design following that initial product design.

Further still, as networking devices are enabled with higher and higher speeds (e.g., currently available 400G port speeds, upcoming 800G port speeds, etc.), their ports will be capable of increasing “breakout” port densities (e.g., with a single 400G port capable of supporting 8 breakout connections, future 800G ports capable of supporting 16 breakout connections, etc.), but conventional LED systems only support 4 LEDs per port and thus are limited to displaying information associated with 4 breakout connections. Finally, LED systems compete for the available space on the front panel of (and within) the networking device, and thus can prevent heat dissipation features and/or other networking device features from being provided on the networking device, which can provide a constraint on the amount of power that may be consumed by the networking device in situations in which heat dissipation is limited.

One of the inventors of the present disclosure has developed systems and methods to address the issues discussed above. U.S. Pat. No. 11,818,233 issued Nov. 14, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes a portable LED receiver developed by one of the inventors of the present disclosure that includes a plurality of LEDs and that may be paired with a network switch and then may operate to track the status of switch ports on that network switch using its LEDs, allowing disaggregation of LEDs from switch ports. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/196,059, filed May 11, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes a networking device connectable LED system developed by one of the inventors of the present disclosure that includes a plurality of LEDs and that may be connected to a port on networking devices and have its LEDs illuminated to provide information about that networking device or its ports, thus allowing the LEDs to be removed from the front surface of that networking device.

However, conventional networking devices like those discussed above also often utilize LED(s) as locators/beacons that may be illuminated to allow a network administrator or other user to locate the networking device or any of its ports, and the removal of the LEDs from the front panel of the networking device and the provisioning of those LEDs on the portable LED receiver or networking device connectable LED system described above prevents (or limits) such locator/beacon functionality by physically separating the LEDs from the networking device and/or ports they would otherwise be used to locate.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a networking device LED system that addresses the issues discussed above.

According to one embodiment, an Information Handling System (IHS) includes an IHS chassis; a communication system in the IHS chassis that includes a plurality of ports that are accessible on a surface of the IHS chassis; a processing system in the IHS chassis that is coupled to the communication system; a memory system in the IHS chassis that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide an LED control engine; a bezel device chassis that is connected to the IHS chassis and that defines a plurality of port apertures that are each located immediately adjacent a respective one of the plurality of ports, wherein the bezel device chassis is configured to be disconnected from the IHS chassis; a plurality of Light Emitting Devices (LEDs) that are included on the bezel device chassis; and at least one bezel device connector that extends from the bezel device chassis, that is coupled to the processing system, and that is configured to transmit LED control information received from the LED control engine to cause at least one of the plurality of LEDs to illuminate, wherein the at least one bezel device connector is configured to be decoupled from the processing system when the bezel device chassis is disconnected from the IHS chassis.

For purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, calculate, determine, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, communicate, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer (e.g., desktop or laptop), tablet computer, mobile device (e.g., personal digital assistant (PDA) or smart phone), server (e.g., blade server or rack server), a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The information handling system may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the information handling system may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, touchscreen and/or a video display. The information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.

In one embodiment, IHS,, includes a processor, which is connected to a bus. Busserves as a connection between processorand other components of IHS. An input deviceis coupled to processorto provide input to processor. Examples of input devices may include keyboards, touchscreens, pointing devices such as mouses, trackballs, and trackpads, and/or a variety of other input devices known in the art. Programs and data are stored on a mass storage device, which is coupled to processor. Examples of mass storage devices may include hard discs, optical disks, magneto-optical discs, solid-state storage devices, and/or a variety of other mass storage devices known in the art. IHSfurther includes a display, which is coupled to processorby a video controller. A system memoryis coupled to processorto provide the processor with fast storage to facilitate execution of computer programs by processor. Examples of system memory may include random access memory (RAM) devices such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), solid state memory devices, and/or a variety of other memory devices known in the art. In an embodiment, a chassishouses some or all of the components of IHS. It should be understood that other buses and intermediate circuits can be deployed between the components described above and processorto facilitate interconnection between the components and the processor.

Referring now to, an embodiment of a pluggable LED bezel deviceis illustrated that may be provided according to the teachings of the present disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment, the pluggable LED bezel deviceincludes a bezel device chassisthat supports the components of the pluggable LED bezel device, only some of which are illustrated and described below. In the illustrated example, the chassisincludes a front surface, a rear surfacethat is located opposite the bezel device chassisfrom the front surface, a top edgethat extends between the front surfaceand the rear surface, a bottom edgethat is located opposite the bezel device chassisfrom the top edgeand that extends between the front surfaceand the rear surfaceand, and a pair of opposing side edgesandthat are located opposite the bezel device chassisfrom each other and that extend between the front surface, the rear surface, the top edge, and the bottom edge

In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of LED subsystemsare included in the bezel device chassis, with each LED subsystemincluding a plurality of LEDs. As will appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the LED subsystemsmay include LED Integrated Circuits (ICs) that are configured to drive the LEDs, and those LED ICs may be located in the bezel device chassisas illustrated, in the bezel device connectors, and/or in other locations that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure. Furthermore, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the bezel device connectorsmay include pinout mappings for power, ground, I2C (e.g., Serial Data (SDA), Serial Clock (SCL), etc.), and/or any other connections with a networking device that one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure would recognize as being required to provide the functionality described below.

While the specific examples illustrated and described below include four LED subsystems each having a plurality of LEDs, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how a single LED subsystem, fewer than four LED subsystems, or more than four LED subsystems will fall within the scope of the present disclosure as well. As illustrated in, the bezel device chassismay include a plurality of primary data port aperture sections, and one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the primary data port aperture sectionsof the illustrated embodiment are configured to be provided adjacent primary data ports on a networking device that connect to computing devices and provide for the transmission of data between those computing devices.

As illustrated in, the primary data port aperture sectionsmay each include a pair of port aperturesthat are defined by the bezel device chassissuch that they extend from the front surfaceto the rear surfacein a “stacked” orientation (i.e., with a “1” port aperture positioned “on top” of a “2” port aperture visible in), four LEDspositioned about the perimeter of each of the port apertures(e.g., an elongated LED located substantially along the length of each side of its adjacent port aperture), and a plurality of airflow aperturesthat are defined by the bezel device chassissuch that they extend from the front surfaceto the rear surface(e.g., with one set of airflow apertureslocated between the “1” port aperture and the LEDadjacent its “top” edge in the illustrated example, and another set of airflow apertureslocated between the “2” port aperture and the LEDadjacent its “bottom” edge in the illustrated example). Furthermore, in some embodiments, port numbers (e.g., “1” and “2” in) may be backlit by LEDs as well.

While not illustrated or described in detail, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the other primary data port aperture sectionson the bezel device chassismay be similar to the primary data port sectionillustrated and described with reference to, but with the “1/2” port apertures replaced with the “3/4” port apertures, the “5/6” port apertures, the “7/8” port apertures, the “9/10” port apertures, the “11/12” port apertures, the “13/14” port apertures, the “15/16” port apertures, the “17/18” port apertures, the “19/20” port apertures, the “21/22” port apertures, the “23/24” port apertures, the “25/26” port apertures, the “27/28” port apertures, the “29/30” port apertures, and the “31/32” port apertures.

In the illustrated embodiment, the bezel device chassisalso includes an uplink data port section, and one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the uplink data port sectionof the illustrated embodiment is configured to be provided adjacent uplink data ports on a networking device that connect that networking device to other networking devices to enable the transmission of data between computing devices. As illustrated in, the uplink data port sectionmay include a pair of port aperturesthat are defined by the bezel device chassissuch that they extend from the front surfaceto the rear surfacein a “stacked” orientation (i.e., with a “33” port aperture positioned “on top” of a “34” port aperture visible in), three LEDspositioned about the perimeter of each of the port apertures(e.g., an elongated LED located substantially along the length of three side of its adjacent port aperture), a plurality of airflow aperturesthat are defined by the bezel device chassissuch that they extend from the front surfaceto the rear surface(e.g., with the airflow apertureslocated between the side edgeof the bezel device chassisand the LEDson the “left” sides of the port apertures), and a luggage tag aperturethat is defined by the bezel device chassissuch that it extends from the front surfaceto the rear surface. Furthermore, in some embodiments, port numbers (e.g., “33” and “34” in) may be backlit by LEDs as well.

In the illustrated embodiment, the bezel device chassisalso includes a management data port section, and one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the management data port sectionof the illustrated embodiment is configured to be provided adjacent management data ports that operate to connect management devices to networking devices and enable the management of networking devices that transmits data between computing devices. As illustrated in, the management data port sectionmay include four port aperturesthat are defined by the bezel device chassissuch that they extend from the front surfaceto the rear surface, and as described below two of the port aperturesmay be provided for an Ethernet console data port and a Universal Serial Bus (USB) console data port, one of the port aperturesmay be provided for USB port, and one of the port aperturesmay be provided for a Ethernet management port. A plurality of airflow aperturesare defined by the bezel device chassissuch that they extend from the front surfaceto the rear surface(e.g., with the airflow apertureslocated between the side edgeof the bezel device chassisand the port apertures). In the specific example provided herein, a system LED apertureis defined by the bezel device chassissuch that it extends from the front surfaceto the rear surface, and in embodiments in which networking devices include system LEDs, is configured to allow those system LEDs to be seen through the bezel device chassis.

A plurality of bezel device chassis mounting aperturesare defined by the bezel device chassissuch that they extend from the front surfaceto the rear surface, and in the illustrated embodiment include a respective bezel device chassis mounting aperturelocated at each corner of the bezel device chassis. In the illustrated embodiment, the pluggable LED bezel deviceincludes a bezel device guide subsystem that, in the illustrated embodiment, includes a pair of bezel device guide membersthat extend from the rear surfaceof the bezel device chassison opposite sides of the bezel device chassis. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, a respective bezel device connectoris located on a distal end of each of the bezel device guide membersopposite the bezel device chassis, and each of the respective bezel device connectorsmay be coupled to a subset of the LED subsystemsas illustrated in.

As such, in the illustrated examples, the bezel device guide subsystem is illustrated as being provided by a pair of circuit boards that extend from the bezel device chassisto provide the bezel device guide members, and that include the bezel device connectorson their distal ends opposite the bezel device chassis. However, while a pair of bezel device connectors included on respective bezel device guide members and coupled to subsets of LED subsystems is illustrated and described herein, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how a single bezel device connector may be provided on one of the bezel device guide members and may be coupled to each LED subsystem in the bezel device chassis while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well. As such, while a specific pluggable LED bezel devicehas been illustrated and described, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the pluggable LED bezel device of the present disclosure may include a variety of components and component configurations while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

For example, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the pluggable LED bezel devicemay be provided with a variety of components and/or a variety of configurations depending on the computing device with which it will be used, and depending on the LED (and other) functionality desired. As such, a pluggable LED bezel device manufacturer may provide several different pluggable LED bezel devices that are configured to connect to the same computing device (i.e., different pluggable LED bezel devices may be provided for the same computing device “platform”), and a user of that computing device may select the pluggable LED bezel device they wish to use based on the functionality they required.

Furthermore, any computing device developed for used with a pluggable LED bezel device may have its “front wall” dimensions and features captured (e.g., during manufacturing of the computing device) for use in manufacturing the pluggable LED bezel device(s) that will be available for use with it. As such, “x,y” positions of ports (e.g., the primary data ports, uplink ports, management ports, etc., discussed above), airflow apertures and other heat dissipation features, system LEDs, “luggage tags” that include information about the computing device printed thereon, and/or any other features on the “front wall” of the computing device may be captured and used to manufacture the pluggable LED bezel device in order to provide features like those on the pluggable LED bezel devicediscussed above with reference to. Further still, those “front wall” dimensions and features may be provided to users of computing devices or vendors of pluggable LED bezel devices in a manner that is configured to allow 3D printing of the bezel device chassisusing any of a variety of 3D printing techniques known in the art, with the LED subsystems and bezel device connector(s) made available for connection to the 3D printed bezel device chassis in order to allow the creation and customization of pluggable LED bezel devices for computing devices as desired.

Referring now to, an embodiment of a networking deviceis illustrated that may be used with the pluggable LED bezel deviceof. In an embodiment, the networking devicemay be provided by the IHSdiscussed above with reference toand/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS, and in the specific examples below is illustrated and described as being provided by a switch device. However, while illustrated and discussed as being provided by a specific networking device, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the functionality of the networking devicediscussed below may be provided by other computing devices (e.g., server devices, storage systems, etc.) that are configured to operate similarly as the networking devicediscussed below.

In the illustrated embodiment, the networking deviceincludes a networking device chassisthat houses the components of the networking device, only some of which are illustrated and described below. In the illustrated embodiment, the networking device chassisincludes a front wall, a rear wallthat is located opposite the networking device chassisfrom the front wall, a top wallthat extends between the front walland the rear wall, a bottom wallthat extends between the front walland the rear walland that is located opposite the networking device chassisfrom the top wall, and a pair of opposing side wallsandthat extend between the front wall, the rear wall, the top wall, and the bottom wall, and that are located opposite the networking device chassisfrom each other. A networking device chassis housingis defined between the front wall, the rear wall, the top wall, the bottom wall, and the side wallsand, and houses the components of the networking device.

For example, the chassismay house a circuit board(e.g., a motherboard) that is mounted to the bottom wallof the networking device chassisin the networking device chassis housing, and that supports the components of the networking device. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the networking devicemay be provided with an LED control system that may include a variety of components that are configured to control LEDs. In the illustrated embodiment, the LED control system includes a processing system(e.g., the Central Processing Unit (CPU) board in) that may be provided on the circuit boardand that may be coupled to a memory system (not illustrated, but which may be similar to the memorydiscussed above with reference toand may be provided on or coupled to the CPU board illustrated in) that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a networking enginethat is configured to perform the LED control functionality (as well as any conventional networking operations known in the art) of the networking engines and/or networking devices discussed below.

As illustrated, the LED control system may also include a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) devicethat may be provided on the circuit boardand that may be coupled to the processing system/networking engine(e.g., via a Peripheral Component Interconnect express (PCIe) bus, a Low Pin Count (LPC) bus, and/or via other couplings that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure). Furthermore, the LED control system may also include a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devicethat may be provided on the circuit boardand that may be coupled to the processing system/networking engine(e.g., via a PCIe bus and/or via other couplings that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure), and that may be coupled to the BMC device(e.g., via an LPC bus, an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) bus, and/or via other couplings that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure). Further still, the LED control system may also include an arbitrar/multiplexer (MUX) devicethat may be provided on the circuit boardand that may be coupled to the processing system/networking engine, the BMC device, and the FPGA device(e.g., via an I2C bus and/or via other couplings that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure).

The networking device chassisalso includes a networking device guide subsystem that, in the specific examples illustrated and described below, includes a pair of networking device guide membersandthat each extend from the front wallof the networking device chassison opposite sides of the front walladjacent the side wallsand, respectively, that each include a bezel device connector slotand, respectively, defined by and extending through the front wallof the networking device chassis, and that each include a bezel device connector channeland, respectively, extending from that bezel device connector slotand, respectively.

Furthermore, a networking device connectoris included on or located adjacent to the networking device guide memberand coupled to the arbitrar/MUX device(e.g., via an I2C bus and/or via other couplings that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure), and a networking device connectoris included on or located adjacent to the networking device guide memberand coupled to the arbitrar/MUX device(e.g., via an I2C bus and/or via other couplings that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure). However, similarly as described above, while a pair of networking device connectors included on or adjacent respective networking device guide members and coupled to the arbitrar/MUX deviceare illustrated and described herein, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how a single networking device connector may be provided on or adjacent to one of the networking device guide members and may be coupled to the arbitrar/MUX devicewhile remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

As illustrated in, the front wallof the networking device chassismay include a plurality of primary data port sectionsthat each include a pair of primary data portsthat are configured to connect to computing devices and provide for the transmission of data between those computing device. In the specific examples provided herein, the primary data portsare provided in a “stacked” orientation (i.e., with a “1” primary data port positioned “on top” of a “2” primary data port visible in), and a plurality of airflow aperturesare defined by and extend through the front wallof the networking device chassisto the networking device chassis housing(e.g., with one set of airflow apertureslocated between the “1” primary data port and the top wallof the networking device chassisin the illustrated example, and another set of airflow apertureslocated between the “2” primary data port and the bottom wallof the networking device chassisin the illustrated example). As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the airflow aperturesillustrated inmay be provided in place of LEDs that are typically included on conventional networking devices adjacent their ports.

While not illustrated or described in detail, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the other primary data port sectionson the networking device chassismay be similar to the primary data port sectionillustrated and described with reference to, but with the “1/2” primary data ports replaced with the “3/4” primary data ports, the “5/6” primary data ports, the “7/8” primary data ports, the “9/10” primary data ports, the “11/12” primary data ports, the “13/14” primary data ports, the “15/16” primary data ports, the “17/18” primary data ports, the “19/20” primary data ports, the “21/22” primary data ports, the “23/24” primary data ports, the “25/26” primary data ports, the “27/28” primary data ports, the “29/30” primary data ports, and the “31/32” primary data ports.

In the illustrated embodiment, the networking device chassisalso includes an uplink data port sectionthat includes a pair of uplink data portsthat are configured to connect the networking deviceto other networking devices to enable the transmission of data between computing devices. In the specific examples provided herein, the uplink data portsare provided in a “stacked” orientation (i.e., with a “33” uplink data port positioned “on top” of a “34” uplink data port visible in), a plurality of airflow aperturesare defined by and extend through the front wallof the networking device chassisto the networking device chassis housing(e.g., with the airflow apertureslocated between the uplink data portsand the side wallof the networking device chassisin the illustrated example), and a luggage tagis provided (e.g., located between the uplink data portsand the bottom wallof the networking device chassis) that one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate may be removable from the networking deviceand may include any of a variety of identification information about the networking deviceprinted or otherwise provided thereon.

In the illustrated embodiment, the networking device chassisalso includes a management data port sectionthat includes four management data portsthat operate to connect management devices to the networking deviceand enable the management of the networking device. In the specific example illustrated in, the management data port sectionincludes an Ethernet console data port and a USB console data port (a micro-USB console data port in the illustrated embodiment), a USB port, and an Ethernet management port, although one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how any of a variety of management data ports will fall within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

A plurality of airflow aperturesare defined by and extend through the front wallof the networking device chassisto the networking device chassis housing(e.g., with the airflow apertureslocated between the management data ports and the side wallof the networking device chassisin the illustrated example). In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of system LEDsare included on the front wallof the networking device chassisbetween the management data portsand the top wallof the networking device chassis, and one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure may keep the system LEDs on the front wall of the networking device chassisdue to those system LEDs being relatively important during the operation of the networking device and/or being used more frequently than the port LEDs that are typically included on conventional networking devices. However, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the system LEDs on a computing device may be removed from that computing device and provided on the pluggable LED bezel system of the present disclosure while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well. A plurality of networking device chassis mounting aperturesare defined by and extend into the front wallof the networking device chassis, and in the illustrated embodiment include a respective networking device chassis mounting aperturelocated at each corner of the networking device chassis.

As discussed above, networking devices may be provided with a variety of components and/or a variety of configurations other than those illustrated in, and pluggable LED bezel device manufacturer(s) may provide pluggable LED bezel devices for any of those networking devices. Furthermore, any of those networking devices may have its “front wall” dimensions and features captured (e.g., during manufacturing of that networking device) for use in manufacturing the pluggable LED bezel devices that will be available for use with it. As such, “x,y” positions of the features of the port sections (e.g., the primary data ports, uplink ports, management ports, etc., discussed above), airflow apertures and other heat dissipation features, system LEDs, “luggage tags” that include information about the computing device printed thereon, and/or any other features on the “front wall” of the networking devicemay be captured and used to manufacture the pluggable LED bezel device of the present disclosure that allows access to those features discussed above with reference towhen connected to the networking device.

Further still, those “front wall” dimensions and features may be provided to users of networking devices and/or vendors of pluggable LED bezel devices in a manner that is configured to allow the 3D printing of the bezel device chassisdiscussed above with reference tousing any of a variety of 3D printing techniques known in the art, with the LED subsystems and bezel device connector(s) made available for connection to the 3D-printed bezel device chassis in order to allow the creation and customization of pluggable LED bezel devices for the networking deviceas desired. As such, while a specific networking devicehas been illustrated and described, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how networking devices or other computing devices provided according to the teachings of the present disclosure may include a variety of components and/or configurations while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

Referring now to, an embodiment of a methodfor providing device information using a pluggable Light Emitting Device (LED) bezel device is illustrated. As discussed below, the systems and methods of the present disclosure provide a pluggable LED bezel device that may be connected to a networking device to provide the LEDs for that networking device adjacent corresponding ports on that networking device, and then disconnected from that networking device when those LEDs are not needed. For example, the pluggable LED bezel device of the present disclosure may include a bezel device chassis that defines a plurality of port apertures and that is configured to connect to a computing device such that each of the plurality of port apertures is located immediately adjacent a respective port included on the computing device. A plurality of LEDs are included on the bezel device chassis. At least one bezel device connector extends from the bezel device chassis and is configured to couple to an LED control system in the computing device when the bezel device chassis is connected to the computing device, and transmit LED control information received from the LED control system to cause at least one of the plurality of LEDs to illuminate. As such, LEDs may be removed from networking devices to open up space for other networking device features (e.g., airflow apertures), eliminating the time required to develop and test networking-device-integrated LED subsystems, and providing other benefits that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure.

The methodbegins at blockwhere a pluggable LED bezel device is connected to a computing device such that ports apertures on the pluggable LED bezel device are located immediately adjacent ports on the computing device and a bezel device connector on the pluggable LED bezel device couples to an LED control system in the computing device. With reference to, in an embodiment of block, the pluggable LED bezel devicemay be positioned adjacent the networking devicesuch that the bezel device connectors/bezel device guide membersare located adjacent and aligned with the bezel device connector slotsandon the front wallof the networking device chassis. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, blockof the methodmay be performed during initial cabling of the networking device, following any port outage of the networking device, during cable maintenance for the networking device, and/or for any other LED usage scenarios that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure. As such, before block, as well as after performance of the method, the networking devicemay be provided without the pluggable LED bezel deviceand, thus, without the LEDs included thereon.

With reference to, the pluggable LED bezel devicemay then be moved in a direction A such that the bezel device connectors/bezel device guide membersenter the bezel device connector slotsandon the front wallof the networking device chassis, with the bezel device guide membersengaging the bezel device connector channelsandto guide the bezel device connectorsas the pluggable LED bezel devicemoves in the direction A until the bezel device connectorsengage the networking device connectorsandto couple the bezel device connectorsto the LED control system in the networking device(e.g., the networking engine, the BMC device, and the FPGA devicevia the arbitrar/MUX device).

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the engagement of the bezel device connectorswith the networking device connectorsandoperates to connect the pluggable LED bezel deviceto the networking device, and in some embodiments the pluggable LED bezel devicemay subsequently be secured to the networking deviceby providing respective fastener devices (e.g., screws) in the aligned bezel device chassis mounting apertureson the bezel device chassisand the networking device chassis mounting apertureson the front wallof the networking device chassis.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the connection of the pluggable LED bezel deviceto the networking deviceprovides the uplink data portsin the uplink data port sectionon the networking deviceimmediately adjacent to and accessible via the port aperturesin the uplink data port sectionof the bezel device chassis, the primary data portsin each of the primary data port sectionson the networking deviceimmediately adjacent to and accessible via the port aperturesin each of the primary data port sectionsof the bezel device chassis, and the management data portsin the management data port sectionon the networking deviceimmediately adjacent to and accessible via the port aperturesin the management data port sectionof the bezel device chassis.

Furthermore, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will also appreciate how the connection of the pluggable LED bezel deviceto the networking deviceprovides the airflow aperturesin the uplink data port sectionon the networking deviceimmediately adjacent to airflow aperturesin the uplink data port sectionof the bezel device chassis, the airflow aperturesin each of the primary data port sectionson the networking deviceimmediately adjacent to the airflow aperturesin each of the primary data port sectionsof the bezel device chassis, the airflow aperturesin the management data port sectionon the networking deviceimmediately adjacent to the airflow aperturesin the management data port sectionof the bezel device chassis, the luggage tagin the uplink data port sectionon the networking deviceimmediately adjacent to and accessible via the luggage tag aperturein the uplink data port sectionof the bezel device chassis, and the system LEDsin the management data port sectionon the networking deviceimmediately adjacent and visible through the system LED aperturein the management data port sectionof the bezel device chassis.

The methodthen proceeds to blockwhere the bezel device connector transmits LED control information received from the LED control system. With reference to, in an embodiment of block, the networking enginein the LED control system of the networking devicemay perform LED control information transmission operationsthat, in the illustrated example, include generating LED control information and transmitting that LED control information to the arbitrar/MUX deviceto cause the arbitrar/MUX deviceto provide (e.g., using any of a variety of arbitration or MUX logic that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure) that LED control information to either or both of the networking device connectorsandsuch that the LED control information is received by the bezel device connectorsand transmitted to one or more of their connected LED subsystems.

With reference to, in another embodiment of block, the BMC devicein the LED control system of the networking devicemay perform LED control information transmission operationsthat, in the illustrated example, include generating LED control information and transmitting that LED control information to the arbitrar/MUX deviceto cause the arbitrar/MUX deviceto provide (e.g., using any of a variety of arbitration or MUX logic that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure) that LED control information to either or both of the networking device connectorsandsuch that the LED control information is received by the bezel device connectorsand transmitted to one or more of their connected LED subsystems.

With reference to, in another embodiment of block, the FPGA devicein the LED control system of the networking devicemay perform LED control information transmission operationsthat, in the illustrated example, include generating LED control information and transmitting that LED control information to the arbitrar/MUX deviceto cause the arbitrar/MUX deviceto provide (e.g., using any of a variety of arbitration or MUX logic that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure) that LED control information to either or both of the networking device connectorsandsuch that the LED control information is received by the bezel device connectorsand transmitted to one or more of their connected LED subsystems. As such, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate how the arbitrar/MUX devicemay be configured to arbitrate between the networking engine, the BMC device, and the FPGA devicethat operate as “masters” that may select the channels available via the arbitrar/MUX deviceto the LED subsystems.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the LED control information may be configured to illuminate LEDs for the purposes of providing beacon/locator functionality, during initial cabling of the networking device, following any port outage of the networking device, during cable maintenance for the networking device, and/or for any other LED illumination situations that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure. Furthermore, while the LED control information is illustrated and described as being provided to two bezel device connectors, as discussed above a single bezel device connector may be provided on the pluggable LED bezel deviceand/or may otherwise receive the LED control information at blockwhile remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well.

The methodthen proceeds to blockwhere LEDs on the pluggable LED bezel device illuminate based on the LED control information transmitted by the bezel device connector. With reference back to, in an embodiment of blockand in response to the bezel device connectorstransmitting the LED control information at block, a subset of LEDs on the LED subsystemsmay illuminate (as indicated by the elementsin). Similarly, with reference back to, in an embodiment of blockand in response to the bezel device connectorstransmitting the LED control information at block, a subset of LEDs on the LED subsystemsmay illuminate (as indicated by the elementsin). Similarly, with reference back to, in an embodiment of blockand in response to the bezel device connectorstransmitting the LED control information at block, a subset of LEDs on the LED subsystemsmay illuminate (as indicated by the elementsin).

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, while the examples provided ineach illustrate a pair of LEDs being illuminated, any number of LEDs may be illuminated at blockbased any LED illumination situation while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the illumination of the LEDson the LED subsystemsat blockmay include illuminating each of the LEDs provided about the perimeter of a port aperture on the pluggable LED bezel device in order to provide a beacon for and/or otherwise facilitate locating the port immediately adjacent that port aperture. Similarly, the illumination of the LEDson the LED subsystemsat blockmay include illuminating the LED that provides a backlight for a port number on the bezel device chassis that is adjacent a port aperture on the pluggable LED bezel device in order to provide a beacon for and/or otherwise facilitate locating the port immediately adjacent that port aperture and port number. Similarly, the illumination of the LEDson the LED subsystemsat blockmay include illuminating all (or a subset of) LEDs provided about the perimeter of the port apertures on the pluggable LED bezel device in a pattern, with particular colors, and/or in other manner that one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure would appreciate as providing networking device beacon/locator functionality that facilitates the locating of the networking device.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the pluggable LED bezel devicemay remain connected to the networking devicefor as long as desired by a user of the networking device. However, when the user of the networking deviceno longer desires to have the pluggable LED bezel deviceconnected to the networking device(e.g., because the LED situation for which the pluggable LED bezel devicewas used has ended, in order to use the pluggable LED bezel devicewith another networking device, etc.), that user may disconnect the pluggable LED bezel devicefrom the networking deviceby removing the respective fastener devices (e.g., screws) from the aligned bezel device chassis mounting apertureson the bezel device chassisand the networking device chassis mounting apertureson the front wallof the networking device chassis(when present), and then move the pluggable LED bezel deviceopposite the direction A (illustrated in) in order to disconnect the bezel device connectorsfrom the networking device connectorsandand allow the bezel device guide membersto move through the bezel device connector channelsand, respectively, on the networking device guide membersand, respectively, and out of the bezel device connector slotsand, respectively.

Thus, systems and methods have been described that provide a pluggable LED bezel device that may be connected to a networking device to provide the LEDs for that networking device adjacent corresponding ports on that networking device, and then disconnected from that networking device when those LEDs are not needed. For example, the pluggable LED bezel device of the present disclosure may include a bezel device chassis that defines a plurality of port apertures and that is configured to connect to a computing device such that each of the plurality of port apertures is located immediately adjacent a respective port included on the computing device. A plurality of LEDs are included on the bezel device chassis. At least one bezel device connector extends from the bezel device chassis and is configured to couple to an LED control system in the computing device when the bezel device chassis is connected to the computing device, and transmit LED control information received from the LED control system to cause at least one of the plurality of LEDs to illuminate. As such, LEDs may be removed from networking devices to open up space for other networking device features (e.g., airflow apertures), eliminate the time required to develop and test networking-device-integrated LED subsystems, and provide other benefits that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure.

As such, the pluggable LED bezel system of the present disclosure includes a pluggable LED bezel device that provides LED subsystems for a networking device that are software driven and not tied to the manufacturing process of the networking device, eliminating much of the time and effort conventionally dedicated to designing LED subsystems for the networking device (both from a hardware perspective as well as a software/controller code development and testing perspective), and allowing the bezel device chassis and its LED subsystem to be finalized after the initial product design of the networking device. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the pluggable LED bezel device is optional for use with any networking device, particular with regard to Open Network Install Environment (ONIE) hardware requirements that do not make LEDs mandatory, and allows LEDs to be provided on networking devices as an add-on and/or on an as-needed basis. Furthermore, the disaggregation of the LEDs from the networking device via the pluggable LED bezel device is relatively highly customizable, and allows users to adapt LED usage to their needs while reducing the use of resources associated with networking device hardware, software, manufacturing, and technical assistance.